Cheap Eats Toronto restaurant guide blog

Vintages Value List for Saturday May 10, 2008

Greetings All!   This week’s release focus is – “the allure of Burgundy – Seductive Wines, and Surprisingly Affordable”.  Well, for those of you who are familiar with Burgundian wines – the last statement is an oxymoron.  Wines from Burgundy usually cost a bomb, however, the Vintages buyers have found some affordable gems and they are highlighted below along with other great finds:   Sparkling Wine 48686 Domaine de Nerleux Cremant de Loire Brut (Loire Valley, France) $17.95  
A super fizz – features a green apple nose and a dry, crisp finish.  Start the evening with this one!   White Wine 33936 Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Chardonnay 2005 (Niagara, Ontario) $25.00 OK you “locavores” – buy this wine!  It is incredibly intense and flavourful.  Mouth-filling with pineapple, butterscotch and spice notes.   66639 Paul and Mallory Talmard Macon-Uchizy 2006 (Macon, France) $15.95 Paul and Mallory – they sound like a nice suburban couple in Burgundy.  Regardless of their names, they have managed to create an interesting chardonnay – there is little to no oak and there are distinct aromas of orange and peach – ergo an unusual chardonnay – delicious nonetheless. 
  068106 Domain Du Chardonnay Chablis Montmains 2006 $28.95 Classic Chablis featuring flavours of citrus, crisp green apple and mineral tones. 
  Red Wine 66365 Chateau Philippe-Le-Hardi Mercurey 2005 (Burgundy, France) $21.95 Fairly full-bodied.  A well-priced, well-made Burgundian Pinot.   434605 Rancho Zabaco Sonoma Heritage Zinfandel 2004 (California) $19.95 Lots of concentrated fruit and oak.  This one is a well-balanced Zin.   59196 Viu Manent Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (Chile) $12.95 HOLA – what a terrific value from the Colchagua Valley.  Black fruit, mint and dark chocolate predominate the palate.   687210 Memoria Primitivo Di Manduria 2004 (Puglia, Italy) $12.95 Old world zinfandel presents bold fruit without being too ‘in your face/nose’. 
  723452 Ondarre Reserva 2001 (Rioja, Spain) $15.95 Calling all Spanish wine lovers – this wine presents great value for Rioja-ha!  Good balance of fruit and wood.  Decanter scored it 4/5.   661991 Rockbare Shiraz 2006 (McLaren Vale, Australia) $20.95 Tuck this one away for a few years – you will be pleasantly surprised by dark fruit, licorice and sun-dried olives. 
  708954 Chateau La Gasparde 2005 (Bordeaux, France) $14.95 Come on - $15 bucks for an ’05 Bordeaux – you’ve got to be kidding!  No guff – this presents a classic old world style.  It is dry as a bone with minimal fruit factor.   43141 Domaine De La Vielle Ferme de L’Equine Rasteau Cotes Du Rhone Villages 2004 (Rhone Valley, France) $15.95 Do you think they could come up with a shorter name?  What does it mean?  House of the Old Closed Horse?  The name is not appealing, but this typical Rhone wine presents great value. 

__________________________________________________________________ Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo! Answers and share what you know at http://ca.answers.yahoo.com

Long Spring Rolls - Photo of the Week

IMG 0396
Originally uploaded by newyork808.

The CheapEats Photo of the Week is IMG 0396 taken by newyork808.Wow, those are some long spring rolls.
From the comments, it sounds like they were tasty too.

I guess this counts as a recommendation for Pho Phuong Hoang.

What else should we check out?

Here's what newyork808 said when they uploaded it to the CheapEats Flickr Group

Shrimp spring rolls from Pho Phuong Hoang - 1153 College Street, Toronto.

Add your own photo to the CheapEats Toronto Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo of the Week.

Technorati Tags: photo of the week, newyork808, summer roll, vietnamese, pho phuong Hoang

CheapEats On Sale 'til May 14th.

Buy a copy of CheapEats online at http://plethorapress.myshopify.com by May 14, using the discount code "cheapeater" & you'll get

25% off & FREE CDN shipping

That means CETO for $9.41 or a CEOT for $10.19, or both for under $20 including shipping.

Just go to http://plethorapress.myshopify.com 
On checkout enter the code: cheapeater

VVL Release Saturday May 10, 2008

Hello Everyone!

Well Vintages is at it again – showcasing pinot noir in this Saturday's release. This is hit & miss grape at the value-end of the spectrum. We tasted ~ 20 pinots from different regions around the world. Of course, we loved the $40 Burgundian – but not enough for it to merit mention on this list. Consequently there is nary a pinot to be seen on the list. If you are pinot fans – we recommend that you visit the nearest Vintages to get a recommendation from a Product Consultant.

SPARKLING WINES

616441 Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catharine Brut (VQA Ontario) $29.95

This is a fantastic sparkling wine rivalling those hailing from Champagne. Toast, apple and citrus highlight this very dry fizz. Grab a dozen oysters and a bottle and you are set!

Where's The WIFI?

Last week, I was surprised by the lack of WIFI at Lettieri's Yorkville location. After complaining about my confusion, I decided to email their Director of Operations, Halina Walkiewicz, and ask what the WIFI situation actually was.  

Halina immediately replied with clarification - not all Lettieri locations have WIFI, but the following list do:

• 79 Front St East
• 21 St Clair Avenue W., @ Yonge
• 571 Bloor St West @ Bathurst.
• 77 Wellesley Street East @ Church St.
• 25 Adelaide Street East @ Victoria (snazzy new location)

Oddly enough, these are the ones I frequent most, so no wonder I thought they were all equipped. 

Technorati Tags: wifi, toronto, lettieri, yorkville, cafes, coffee shops

Ontario Brewing Awards Winners

Yesterday afternoon, I had the opportunity to sit in on the 5th annual Ontario Brewing Awards and sample some of the Gold Medal winners. 

57 brands of Ontario brews were submitted for judging across 15 different categories.  The big winners were Mill Street Brewery walking away with 3 Golds, 3 Silvers and 1 People's Choice.  Close behind were Brick and Great Lakes Breweries with 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and 2 People's Choice each.  The People's Choice favourite was Nickel Brook with 3 People's Choice and 2 Silver Medals.

The awards, which caused some brew-ha-ha last year, were judged this year by a panel of beer experts and some regular beer drinking folks.  The Gold and Silver Medals were based on the expert tastings and the People's Choice were based on the whole panels input.  

As soon as the photo above hit Flickr, comments started coming in on the winners:

• Adam said "Hockley Stout? Gotta try that... the dark is already almost a stout."
• Raj said the Belgian Wit is "Good for the patio"
• Arieh added a note to Cameron's Auburn, "The Auburn is my favourite"

Which are you favourites? Any surprises on the list?

Keep reading for the full list of Gold, Silver and People's Choice Winners.  

Quick Notes

• Hitting the Ontario Brewing Awards this afternoon. Let's hope last year's judging brew-ha-ha was a one time deal.
• Ontario Brewing Awards consumer sampling today, May 6th from 5pm-6pm, Esplanade Bier Markt www.thebiermarkt.com/

Automatically posted from the CheapEats Toronto twitterfeed - www.twitter.com/ceto by LoudTwitter

Technorati Tags: ontario brewing awards, bier markt

Quick Notes

• Just got a CheapCoffee tip from an S*bucks Barista: Want a Mocha? Order a latte using a pre-paid card, get your mocha syrup free.
• Are you doing anything for Cinco de Mayo?

Automatically posted from the CheapEats Toronto twitterfeed - www.twitter.com/ceto by LoudTwitter

What the WIFI?

When did Lettieri stop offering WIFI?

I dropped by the Yorkville location last week for a quick coffee and email check only to find there was no access.  So I asked and woman behind the counter told me if I sat near the window I might be able to pick something up. 

I was sure that all Lettieri locations had WIFI.  It was one of the great things about them.  Did I miss something?

Technorati Tags: lettieri, wifi, yorkville, cafe, ceto

Something new.. and cold

Something new.. and cold
Originally uploaded by Jim U.

The CheapEats Photo of the Week is Something new.. and cold taken by Jim U.

Hopefully Jim U will come over and tell us a bit more about his meal from Onara Onara at 648 Bloor West. (If he takes Tim up on his offer and does a write up for BlogTO.com, I'll add the link to the comments.)

This meal looks great and this is a perfect photo for the CheapEats Photo of the Week.


Add your own photo to the CheapEats Toronto Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo of the Week.

Here's what Jim U said when they uploaded it to the CheapEats Flickr Group

Oh Nara Oh Nara Restaurant
648 Bloor Street West
Toronto ON M6G1K9
www.toronto.com/restaurants/listing/205268

Technorati Tags: onara onara, Jim U, ceto, cheapeats toronto, photo of the week, photo, toronto, korean, food